“You know, you're surrounded, Eden,” he sighed loudly, as if exasperated. “You are completely outnumbered and outmatched, so cut it out,” he finished quietly, and his eyes narrowed into hard slits of reprimand.
“How many?” I looked through the windows of the small store, not believing there was any number of Immortals that would be able to stop me; it wouldn't matter how many he brought.
“Enough,” Talbott said simply.
“I doubt that,” I countered, growing more and more irritated. I moved past Talbott, searching out the guide or map that I came in here for in the first place.
“Listen, we need to talk. Eden, you need to take this seriously.” Talbott put a gentle hand underneath my elbow. The small gesture was almost too much for me to bear and I wrenched my arm away with revulsion.
I wanted to scream at Talbott, to accuse him of all of the hateful things I knew he was a party to. But when I spun around on my heel, he took a step back flinching before I got the chance to open my mouth. The effect was rewarding. He was so big, so strong and so confident all of the time, that the knowledge that he stood in fear of little, old me was enough for right now.
“How did you find me anyway?” I inquired, suddenly interested in how exactly he came upon the very store I would be in. I wasn't followed from Lima, or up the mountainside and until he entered the store, Silas was the only other Immortal presence I felt. I was sure of that.
Instead of answering aloud, Talbott nodded in the direction of my neck and specifically stared at my chest. I reached my hand up subconsciously and my fingers fell on the necklace and engagement ring hidden beneath my windbreaker. When my fingers closed over the two stones, Talbott nodded his head ever so slightly, confirming my suspicions.
“We have our ways,” he replied more loudly, covering his clue.
I recognized that he was speaking to whoever was with him, but he shed light on a very valuable piece of information that could get me into a lot of trouble. I was very confused suddenly, not knowing if I could really believe Talbott or if this was a show to gain my trust and then betray me later. I was bewildered and that put the situation out of my control. I was at the mercy of Talbott until I figured out what his real agenda was.
“Sure you do,” I mumbled, still fingering the large magical stone that rested against my chest. “What is it that you want, Talbott?”
“I want to make a trade,” he offered carefully, glancing around the room. “Do you mind if we go somewhere else to talk?”
“Yes, I do mind. How do I know this is not just a trick to get me out of a public place? And what kind of trade? What is this?” I tried to keep my voice calm and without emotion, but Talbott was bringing back a flood of feelings that I was not prepared to deal with.
“Listen, Eden, we have you outnumbered,” Talbott declared with all the confidence I expected him to have, but then he lowered his voice so that I was forced to read his lips to fully understand what he was saying, “besides, you want this trade. You need this trade.”
“Fine.” I gave in, following him out the side door he came in through. “But just so you know, just so we are clear, I am probably going to have to kill you and all of your little friends at the end of this.”
“Just relax a little, all right?” he mumbled. We walked through the metal door and out into the first sunshine I had seen my entire time in Peru.
I stopped, just on the other side of the door. We walked into an empty area, the plush vegetation of the mountain just a few feet away and a pathway to the front of the store to my left. I should have decided an escape route by taking in my surroundings and figuring out exactly how I would escape should I need to run.
But I couldn't think.
I couldn't move.
Jericho stood before me, hands tied behind his back and the softest smile playing at the corner of his lips. He was alone, waiting for us.
I wanted to run to him, to throw my arms around him and never let go, but I resisted. The rest of the Guard stood just beyond the trees, just far enough away to stay out of my sight, but there nonetheless. I couldn't let myself become vulnerable; I couldn't so willingly open myself up for attack. But it took everything inside of me to keep the distance between us.
Every ounce of willpower I owned.
“You're giving me Jericho?” I whispered, putting the pieces together. “For what?”
“For Avalon's magic,” Talbot stated soberly; the weight of his offer hit me in the chest with full force. “Lucan has offered Jericho in exchange for your brother's magic. As soon as Avalon has his magic back, I am authorized to hand Jericho over to you and you will both be free to go. If you agree, Lucan will not bother you any longer; he will leave you alone, completely and forever. You have his word. If however, you refuse.... then, I'm afraid you will be escorted back to Romania where you can discuss the terms of your agreement with Lucan face to face.”
I turned my head, needing to breathe and working desperately not to be sick. I couldn't look at Jericho and betray him at the same time. I couldn't long to touch him, long to hear his voice and know that I would not be able to set him free.
The compromise sounded so easy, but it would be the death of this race and I wasn't capable of extinguishing an entire people.... my people. Instead of saving Jericho, I was going to sacrifice him. That alone rang out loud and clear how unfair this journey I was on would be. I would never have an easy decision again. Every thought, every move, every conclusion I made would have heavy and lasting consequences. And Jericho would be the first, the first to suffer from my direct decision to sacrifice his life for the greater good.
Lucan asked too much of even an enemy. He was truly the worst kind of evil. If I lost Jericho, I decided then and there that he should also lose someone he loved, someone he cared for. Not later, not in the long term, but soon.
It would be my next move.
“Never,” I whispered hoarsely, my gaze turning to ice and my fingers trembling with an overwhelming hate that grasped at my heart and flooded my veins.
“I told you,” Jericho said arrogantly to Talbott and my eyes flickered to his for the briefest moment. His hazel eyes burned with pride and the smile that played at his lips took full form. He was satisfied with me, proud that I would refuse the trade. He knew the stakes and his willingness to be martyred echoed painfully in the empty chambers of my heart.
“You'd better give me the engagement ring back,” Talbott changed the subject without warning; caught off guard, I stepped back unsteadily. I was poised to fight, my body radiating with the need to protect Jericho. When Talbott moved on so flippantly my mind raced to catch up.
“What?” I shrieked, “Are you kidding me?”
“Well, Kir-”
“Do not speak his name in front of me, Talbott Angelo, unless you have a death wish,” I threatened in a low voice and watched his lips curl into the faintest and most unexplainable smile.
“Excuse me, the Crowned Prince is engaged to Seraphina.... again. The ring is a family heirloom,” he explained.
I felt the bile rise in my throat, not from jealousy, but from the obvious cliche of it. I shouldn't have expected anything less.
“Of course he is,” I mumbled venomously. “He can't have it.”
I expected a fight, but again Talbott moved on without even the smallest protest, “The necklace, will you destroy it?” His eyes turned serious, and he leveled his gaze at me, raising his eyebrows as if his question was the most important thing he asked yet.
“No,” I replied confidently, “I want him to find me.”
“He will not be able to do that, Eden. He is very ill, too sick to leave the palace,” Talbott spoke softly again, pulling his hands behind his back.
“The King's Curse?” I asked nonchalantly, feeling indifferent, and almost disappointed that I wouldn't be the one to kill him.
Talbott cleared his throat, “No, not the Curse. Something else, something they can't explain.”
“Will he die?” I asked flatly, with no emotion for my voice to betray.
“It looks that way,” Talbott said, and his sad eyes revealed his attachment.
“Pity, I hoped to witness the end of him,” I grumbled. “Actually, I hoped to be the one to end him.” I looked out into the density of the surrounding mountainside and tried to find the Immortal Guard that was staying very carefully hidden. “Talbott, are you sure you're not the only one here?” I asked, gauging his reaction carefully.
“They're out there, Eden, they're just a little more afraid of you than I am.” He smirked casually.
“Are we done here?” I asked abruptly, Jericho's presence was painful. I glanced up at him quickly, not able to read his expression.
Talbott took a step towards me, bringing his hands forward and ripping his watch from his wrist. With one swift movement, he threw the watch in front of him and stepped on it, crushing it beneath his hiking boot.
“Listen carefully, they have already started to move,” Talbott whispered harshly and I was too stunned to react. “You have to destroy the necklace. If you don't they will track you wherever you go. They will find you again. Take Jericho and run. You have to run. And you'll have to knock me out. Ok, go!” Talbott reached out his hand, pressing something small and cold into my palm and then closed his eyes tightly, readying his body for the blow.
When I stood frozen, staring at him, still unable to move, he grew impatient.
“Eden, do it now! But please, don't take my magic. Please don't take my magic.” He shut his eyes again and squished his face.
I glanced at Jericho who gave me a confident head nod and looked behind him, making sure the other Guard was not here yet.
I released my magic forcefully against Talbott, sending him soaring through the air and against a tall, sturdy tree twenty feet away. I was a vessel of rage and vengeance and Talbott became the tool, allowing the bottled cruelty to escape. I used my magic to insure that his head hit hard against the rough bark; I watched him fall limply to the ground, the blood from his head injury pooling around his unconscious body.
Jericho turned his back to me, wiggling his tied hands in a bondage I hadn't seen before. His hands were bound in what seemed like metal handcuffs, except this silver metal flickered iridescently in the sunlight and radiated with a foreign magic that I felt but did not know.
I looked down at my hand, and found a small, silver key that matched the metal of the handcuffs. I hurried forward, unlocking Jericho's restraints. The shackles fell to the ground with a soft clanking sound, vibrating gently against the wet, stone pathway. I picked them up, not wanting to waste something so intriguing and shoved them into my backpack.
Jericho's wrists, raw and chaffed from the handcuffs, bled onto his hands, the blood dripping from his fingertips. But now that the handcuffs were off, he breathed in such a sigh of relief that I nearly wept at the sight of his now slumping body.
“Are you all right?” I gasped, coming to his side and helping him stand upright.
“We have to go,” he insisted urgently.
He was right. The wilderness, nestled against the mountainside, began to shiver, the thick greenery vibrating with heavy movement. Knowing the Guard was on their way, we had to leave now or face the unknown number of Titans with orders to kill us, or worse, take us back to Lucan. I was willing to face them alone, but I refused to let Jericho go back there and suffer any more.